The institute interviewed 2,706 men and 2, 570 women in Japan. The survey is conducted by the government every five years, starting in 1987.

In 2010, only 38.2% of men and 30.7% of women said they had never had sex. Almost half haven't now.

They want to tie the knot eventually. But they tend to put it off as they have gaps between their ideals and the reality.

Futoshi Ishii, head researcher, to Japan Times

The survey is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's bigger mission to raise the fertility rate from 1.4 to 1.8 by 2025. The government hopes that by doing things like increasing the places available at nursery schools, people will find it easier to raise children.

There isn't a comprehensive test for 18- to 34-year-olds in the United States, but the Centers for Disease Control did run a study on 20- to 24-year-olds and found that: